As the summer holidays near, thieves have stolen £1,350 worth of sunglasses from cars in Sutton over a 20-day period.

Top designer brands are being targeted including Ray-Ban, Oakley and Ted Baker.

In the most recent incident on Friday 10th July, four pairs of Oakley and Ted Baker sunglasses worth a total of £650 were stolen from a single car parked in Charminster Road, Worcester Park.

Since the 19th June, sunglasses have been taken from a total of eight vehicles. Other items taken from these vehicles have included a shopping bag, a drill and vehicle documents.

In many cases, thieves are either gaining entry either by finding the doors unlocked or smashing a window.

Sutton Police Crime Prevention Team urged drivers not to leave any valuables in their cars at any time.

“If thieves see sunglasses in the car they are breaking in and hoping they are going to be expensive brand glasses that they can sell for cash,” said PC Pat Simcox, of Sutton’s Crime Prevention Team.

She urged all drivers to remove any valuables and to ensure that they lock their vehicles at all times, even when parking on their driveway at home. “Try the door handle to make sure you’ve locked your car,” advised PC Simcox.